Ten people were convicted of attacking ex-Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, Dominican Republic
Ten of the thirteen Dominican authorities have been accused of the following: attempting to murder David Ortiz, an ex-player in the major-league Baseball League, has been convicted.
Ortiz was shot in the back He was seen at a bar of his Dominican Republic native in June 2019.
Dominican Court Judges handed down sentences from five to 30 years Monday, against several men who were accused of being involved in the attack.
The men were found guilty of attempted murder to conspiring and using illegal firearms, as well as associating with criminals, the Dominican Republic’s Office of Attorney General said in a statement Tuesday afternoon
Eddy Vladimir Féliz García, 26, and Rolfi Ferreras Cruz, 27, received the longest sentences “for their direct participation in the assassination attempt,” the attorney general’s office said. Ferreras Cruz was accused of shooting Ortiz while riding a motorcycle driven by Féliz García. Both were sentenced at the same time to 30 years imprisonment.
Alberto Miguel Rodríguez Mota, 28, was sentenced to 20 years. According to the attorney general, Rodríguez Mota is “the person who paid those who carried out the act” against Ortiz.
The sentences given to the other seven men were shorter than 10 years.
Oliver Moisés Mirabal, 28, and Eduardo Ciprián Lebrón, 24, were sentenced to a decade in prison. Gabriel Alexander Pérez Vizcaíno, 31, and Joel Rodríguez de la Cruz, 28, were sentenced to nine and six years, respectively.
Franklin Junior Merán, 26, Junior César La Hoz Vargas, 28, and Porfirio Ayendi Dechamps Vásquez, 29, got five-year sentences each.
Three people were acquitted because of insufficient evidence, including Víctor Hugo Gómez Vásquez, who was alleged to have been the mastermind.
Gómez Vásquez covered his eyes and cried moments after he heard the verdict Monday night, the Dominican newspaper Diario Libre reported.
In addition to serving their respective sentences, the 10 convicted men must pay 50 million pesos in compensation for damages caused, the attorney general’s office said.
Investigators determined that Ortiz had been confused with another person at a bar who was also the target of the murder plot.
After the attack Ortiz was subject to multiple operations in both the Dominican Republic (DR) and the U.S.
Ortiz, better known as “BigPapi”, was inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame during this summer. He was the most valued player in the Boston Red Sox’s 2013 World Series win.
This article was originally published by NBCNews.com